—­[The ‘Parallel’ has been attributed to different writers; some phrases seemed the work of Lucien, but, says Thiers (tome ii p. 210), its rare elegance of language and its classical knowledge of history should attribute it to its real anchor, Fontanel, Joseph Bonaparte (Erreurs tome i. p. 270) says that Fontanel wrote it, and Lucien Bonaparte corrected it.  See Meneval, tome iii. p. 105.  Whoever wrote it Napoleon certainly planned its issue.  “It was,” said he to Roederer, “a work of which he himself had given the idea, but the last pages were by a fool” (Miot, tome i, p. 318).  See also Lanfrey, tome ii. p. 208; and compare the story in Iung’s Lucien, tome ii. p. 490.  Miot, then in the confidence of Joseph, says, that Lucien’s removal from, office was the result of an angry quarrel between him and Fouche in the presence of Napoleon, when Fouche attacked Lucien, not only for the pamphlet, but also for the disorder of his public and his private life; but Miot (tome i, p, 319) places the date of this as the 3d November, while Bourrienne dates the disapproval of the pamphlet in December.]—­

Lucien, among other instructions, was directed to use all his endeavours to induce Spain to declare against Portugal in order to compel that power to separate herself from England.

The First Consul had always regarded Portugal as an English colony, and he conceived that to attack it was to assail England.  He wished that Portugal should no longer favour England in her commercial relations, but that, like Spain, she should become dependent on him.  Lucien was therefore sent as ambassador to Madrid, to second the Ministers of Charles iv. in prevailing on the King to invade Portugal.  The King declared war, but it was not of long duration, and terminated almost without a blow being struck, by the taking of Olivenza.  On the 6th of June 1801 Portugal signed the treaty of Badajoz, by which she promised to cede Olivenza, Almeida, and some other fortresses to Spain, and to close her ports against England.  The First Consul, who was dissatisfied with the treaty, at first refused to ratify it.  He still kept his army in Spain, and this proceeding determined Portugal to accede to some slight alterations in the first treaty.  This business proved very advantageous to Lucien and Godoy.

The cabinet of the Tuileries was not the only place in which the question of hereditary succession was discussed.  It was the constant subject of conversation in the salons of Paris, where a new dynasty was already spoken of.  This was by no means displeasing to the First Consul; but he saw clearly that he had committed a mistake in agitating the question prematurely; for this reason he waged war against the Parallel, as he would not be suspected of having had any share in a design that had failed.  One day he said to me, “I believe I have been a little too precipitate.  The pear is not quite ripe!” The Consulate for life was accordingly postponed till 1802, and the hereditary empire till 1804.